Ravens Opponent Profile: Miami Dolphins Head Into M&T Bank Stadium On Six-Game Winning Streak
By Daniel Benjamin
The Baltimore Ravens' next five games will determine if they will capture the AFC North division title for first time since 2012. The Ravens start the final leg of the season by hosting the upstart Miami Dolphins on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.
Baltimore improved to 6-5 on the season with a 19-14 win over AFC North division rival Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. The win kept the Ravens atop of the AFC North as the Pittsburgh Steelers (6-5) won on Thanksgiving Day. The Ravens have already surpassed their win total from last year.
This game will be the fourth straight year the Dolphins and Ravens have met. The Ravens have won five of the past six meetings and lead the all-time series 7-6. This is the teams' first meeting at M&T Bank Stadium since November 7, 2010.
Dolphins Record: 7-4
The Dolphins defeated the San Francisco 49ers 31-24 for their sixth straight victory, which is the second longest current winning streak in the NFL. Miami has outscored their opponents by 41 points during the winning streak, though they have just a plus-9 point differential this year. The Dolphins are 2-3 on the road, having been outscored 99-86. Eight of the Fins' 11 games have been single digit games.
Dolphins on Offense
The Dolphins started turning things around when they decided to ride the coattails of running back Jay Ajayi. Ajayi rushed for 529 yards in the first three games of the winning streak, though he has slowed down since. Still, he is averaging 4.1 yards per carry despite being held to 45 yards on 18 attempts by the 49ers. Overall, Ajayi ranks seventh in the NFL with 847 rushing yards and is fourth in rushing yards per game (84.7) as well as eighth in the league with seven touchdowns.
Miami ranks 17th in the NFL with 22.6 points a game, though they have scored 27 or more points five times during the winning streak. The Dolphins are seventh in the league in rushing (116.0) and 28th in passing (216.4).
Miami's offensive line is kind of banged up as left guard Laremy Tunsil, left tackle Branden Albert and center Mike Pouncey missed the game against San Francisco due to injuries. The Dolphins have given up 26 sacks and 68 hits on the quarterback.
Dolphins on Defense
Miami has plenty of big name defensive players, but their production doesn't necessarily match their reputation. That is not to say that the Dolphins are an awful defensive unit, as that is definitely not the case. Miami did allow San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick to accumulate 409 total offensive yards with 296 yards coming via the air as he completed 63.0 percent of his passes and tossed three touchdowns. The 49ers totaled 475 total yards with 193 coming on the ground. Miami did record two sacks and forced two turnovers.
Miami has given up 121 points during the winning streak for an average of 20.1 points a game. Overall, the Dolphins ranks 16th in the league permitting 21.8 points a contest. They are 20th in total defense (361.9), 30th against the run (132.2) and sixth versus the pass (222.9).
Linebacker Kiko Alonso leads the Dolphins with 91 tackles. He also has two interceptions, one forced fumble and four fumble recoveries.
Players to watch: Wide receiver Jarvis Landry and defensive end Cameron Wake
Jarvis Landry is a very good receiver who is capable of big plays. He leads the Dolphins with 64 receptions on a team-high 88 targets for 733 yards, and has 12 catches for 20 or more yards and 320 yards after the catch. Landry has not seen double digit targets since Week 4, though he has caught at least three passes in every game.
The Ravens' secondary has allowed the seventh fewest receiving yards this year. Baltimore has also done a good job preventing big plays. It will help if cornerback Jimmy Smith (back) is able to return. Smith has sat out the last two games with the injury.
Cameron Wake is a sack machine, leading the team with 8.5 sacks, and has registered a sack in six straight games. Wake is not the only player that the Dolphins have who can get after the quarterback though, as nose tackle Ndamukong Suh (5.0) and defensive end Andre Branch (4.5) also have multi-sack campaigns.
The Ravens' offensive line has been a weak spot for Baltimore all season long—they have given up 23 sacks and allowed 66 hits on quarterback Joe Flacco.
Outlook:
Miami is currently playing as well as any team in the league. Baltimore will have to play a quality game for the full 60 minutes, something the team has rarely done this year. The Ravens should have the advantage on offense if Flacco protects the ball and they stick to the run game. The biggest question is can the Ravens keep Flacco relatively clean and upright?
